Faces of the Boom: Oil companies focus on recruiting families to ND

WILLISTON, N.D. - Pat Bertagnolli’s official job is to recruit oilfield workers, but unofficially he’s a headhunter for Bakken communities.

The director of human resources for B&G Oilfield Services in Williston tries to recruit spouses and families to move to North Dakota along with the workers he hires.

“To retain good people, I really believe they need to have their families out here,” said Bertagnolli, who met with potential hires last week at a job fair in Williston that attracted 1,100 people.

Many job-seekers he meets don’t realize that North Dakota has job opportunities outside of the oil industry, he said.

“I love nothing more than when a truck driver tells me his wife is a radiologist or a nurse or a teacher,” Bertagnolli said. “I do some soft recruiting for other businesses.”

Bertagnolli, 48, formerly of Helena, Mont., shares his own story when he’s meeting with applicants.

He decided to move to North Dakota after spending 22 years working for UPS, a position that required him to be on the road traveling throughout Montana and Wyoming.

The job opportunities he’s found in North Dakota since moving to the state 2½ years ago have allowed Bertagnolli to come off the road and spend more time with family.

“I’ve got some lost years to make up for,” Bertagnolli said.

In addition, his family members have all found good jobs in the state, Bertagnolli said. His wife works in finance for an oilfield company, their son is a civil engineer, their daughter is office manager for a dental clinic and their son who’s in college may come to North Dakota this summer.

The family shares a five-bedroom house they purchased in Watford City.

Bertagnolli, who serves as a member of the North Dakota Workforce Planning Committee, also tries to connect new hires with resources to help them find permanent housing.

More companies are starting to focus on recruiting families and long-term workers to North Dakota, said Cindy Sanford, manager of the Williston Branch of Job Service North Dakota, which organized last week’s job fair.

“It’s no longer a boom. We’re trying to build a community together,” Sanford said.

Dalrymple is a Forum News Service reporter stationed in the Oil Patch. She can be reached at adalrymple@forumcomm.com or (701) 580-6890.